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Nilotinib (Tasigna), approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), shows safety and suggestion of possible disease-modifying effects in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, in a new study. “Nilotinib is significantly different from other therapies that are being developed for Alzheimer’s disease because it

Pediatric Ophthalmologist Jade Price of Wills Eye Hospital examines a teenage patient. Courtesy: Wills Eye Hospital With so many schools resorting to remote learning during the pandemic, some experts are warning that increased screen time paired with a lack of in-school eye exams should keep parents on the alert regarding their children‘s vision. “Parents should definitely make sure their

Fifteen days. That’s how much time the American College of Cardiology (ACC) had to convert its annual conference, scheduled for the end of March this year in Chicago, into a virtual meeting for the estimated 17,000 people who had planned to attend. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Illinois announced restrictions on the size of gatherings

The narcolepsy drugs modafinil (Provigil) and armodafinil (Nuvigil) were both associated with major congenital malformations, a post-marketing report showed. Of 102 prospective live births in the U.S. Provigil/Nuvigil Pregnancy Registry, 13% had major congenital malformations, considerably above the prevalence of about 3% in the general population, according to Sigal Kaplan, PhD, of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries

The hotel industry has been one of the hardest hit business sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a study by the U.S. Travel association, 40% of the 16.9 million jobs in the leisure and hospitality industry have been lost so far, and many businesses must wait until guests feel comfortable enough to hit the

Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. A recent Medscape survey found there were high levels of loneliness, stress, and burnout in physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Isolation and relationship stress add to the problem. Patrick Ross, MD, a critical care physician at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles,

For decades, there’s been a prevailing stereotype about gamers, that they’re recluses who lack social skills. But today’s video games are often built for interaction: You can play with people in your house, or with friends you know, or with strangers around the world. With many games, there’s a chat component that allows you to

As much as intracoronary physiologic measures can help operators identify potential ischemia-producing targets for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), they may also verify whether the procedure — even when angiographic results look great — successfully cut the lesion’s capacity for causing ischemia and thereby improved risk for future events. That was a main message from the

For nurse practitioners, learning to communicate effectively with pediatric patients determines the success of care. Strong communication makes children more cooperative with treatments and less anxious about procedures. As a pediatric nurse practitioner, I am often asked by parents for advice about how to talk to their children about stressful life events such as divorce,

Maybe you’re feeling distracted, pensive, annoyed or even serene as the COVID-19 pandemic drags on. Have you ever wondered how the rest of the world is coping emotionally? We heard a lot more about how other countries are faring at the start of the pandemic in early spring. Remember listening to Italy sing? McKinsey &

Prehospital plasma, administered soon after injury, appears to improve survival for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), results of a new analysis suggest. Administration of prehospital plasma demonstrated a strong survival benefit and was associated with a 45% lower risk for mortality in TBI patients, Danielle S. Gruen, PhD, and colleagues write in their report,

Neuropathic pain, or pain caused by damage to the nervous system, can be hard to treat. It’s not as well understood as other types of pain, such as what you feel if you break a leg or have an abscessed tooth. Researchers from The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City looked at four commonly

A shrimp allergy test delivered with a dab of shrimp extract in the nose is safe and reliable, Barcelona researchers report. The test provides 90% sensitivity and 89% specificity with a positive predictive value of 90%. For those patients who fear anaphylactic shock during a food challenge test, this could prove game changing. “With our

“My heart rate jumps each time I hear someone talk about COVID’s silver linings or the opportunities we’ve found to reimagine our health system. The message has been clear. We’ve moved on. But COVID continues to live in my muscles,” writes Richard E. Leiter, MD, who reflects on his experience leading a palliative care team

One day, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine is picked up by the news media, who  tell us that remdesivir works in the fight against COVID-19. A few days later, other stories, these based on  World Health Organization research, say it doesn’t. So which result holds the truth? Neither? Both?  It’s a trick question. The studies are looking

Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. After taking a nosedive during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, then rising and plateauing, weekly outpatient visits in the United States have rebounded and now slightly exceed levels seen in late February, according to new data. Overall visits plunged

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is allowing summer meal program operators to continue serving free meals to children for this whole school year. The decision ensures children will have access to food as the country deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press release. The waivers allow two meal-serving programs, Summer Food Service and

Recognizing the increased importance of telehealth as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Joint Commission has issued a Quick Safety alert that lays out some of the benefits and drawbacks of virtual encounters, as well as general recommendations to healthcare organizations for implementing telehealth programs. The Joint Commission points out that according to a

Former Vice President Joe Biden, during a televised town hall-style event Thursday evening, cast himself as an honest and capable leader ready to course-correct the country’s pandemic response. Throughout the evening, Biden highlighted President Trump’s missteps and “missed opportunities.” In a discussion of mask mandates, Biden drove home the importance of leadership. Addressing the moderator,

The voices of those opposed to herd immunity rose in unison yesterday and today, from the director of the NIH, to his director of the infectious diseases division, to the 80 scientists who signed a letter, to the head of the WHO. Using words like “unethical,” “dangerous,” and “nonsense,” the naysayers to what is known

The dramatic rise in cost of glucose-lowering medications in the United States in recent years has been due primarily to an increase in users, higher cost per user for analog insulin, and greater use of newer noninsulin medicines for type 2 diabetes, new research indicates. Findings from a comparison of glucose-lowering medication expenditures during 2015-2017

The Food and Drug Administration is requiring labeling changes for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), reflecting that women who are 20 weeks pregnant or further along should not take the medications. Taken at this point in the pregnancy, NSAIDs can cause serious kidney problems to the unborn baby, which in turn can lead to low levels

Prominent medical and scientific journals have broken with tradition and taken a political stand, calling for a change in leadership in Washington, DC Some are endorsing Joseph Biden Jr in his campaign to unseat President Donald Trump in the November election. The move, which several editors acknowledge as unprecedented, may threaten the journals reputations as

Note that some links may require registration or subscription. Coronavirus cases are surging throughout the midwestern U.S., with states including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin experiencing a 25% case increase across the last 14 days. (NBC News) As of Thursday at 8:00 a.m. EST, the unofficial COVID-19 toll included 7,917,189 cases and 216,904 deaths.

If things do happen in threes, hopefully this will be the last bump in the road to a COVID treatment and a vaccine. Eli Lilly and Company has had to halt its government-sponsored phase 3 trial of an antibody treatment for COVID-19 for safety reasons. The treatment had garnered a lot of interest after President

Children who had a single episode of moderate/severe diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and were newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes had a subtle decline in a long-term memory task when they were tested a few months later in a new study. And other children with a known diagnosis of type 1 diabetes who had repeated DKA

“911.  How can I help you?” That’s the reassuring voice you hear if you telephone for help in a medical emergency. The 911 operator and the responding emergency services team will help you as best they can, but there are things you can do to help them do their job. In fact, how you call

Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. Oct. 14, 2020 — Barron Trump, the 14-year-old son of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, tested positive for COVID-19, the first lady revealed in a post on the White House website Wednesday. Since then he has tested negative,