How Our Taste for Sweets Changes Our Appetite for Risk

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We all have that one friend who orders a large Oreo milkshake and a blueberry cheesecake every time you meet up at a café, despite insisting they will get nothing but a cup of green tea. This friend might also make some other choices that seem a tad  ‘impulsive’ to you. For example, you are […]

The post How Our Taste for Sweets Changes Our Appetite for Risk appeared first on Medical News Bulletin.

Dry eye treatments alter corneal biomechanics

Dry eye treatment can alter corneal biomechanics and help patient selection for laser vision correction, according to a study published in the Journal of Refractive Surgery.
“With the advent of in vivo corneal biomechanical assessment, corneal biomechanical response evaluation is increasingly important in refractive surgery screening,” Zhen Ling Teo, MBBS, MRCSEd, FRCOphth, and colleagues wrote. “Although corneal tomography can provide corneal geometry information such as curvature, pachymetry and elevation, biomechanical response evaluation may allow for earlier detection of corneas at risk

Limb salvage vs. early amputation may not increase mortality risk

NASHVILLE, Tenn — Limb salvage was not associated with a higher risk for death in older patients compared with early amputation after limb-threatening trauma, according to a presenter.
“This decision may affect both function and survival in this demographic,” Christopher G. Langhammer, MD, PhD, an assistant professor in orthopedic surgery and orthopedic hand surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told Healio. “Based on our experience over 15 years of working with patients facing this decision, it appears either option may be appropriate from a midterm

Breast Cancer Index influences extended endocrine therapy choice

Results from Breast Cancer Index testing prompted more than 40% of physicians to change extended endocrine therapy decisions for women with early-stage, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.
An analysis of nearly 3,000 patients found the number of physicians who reported high confidence in their decision-making increased nearly 25% after Breast Cancer Index (BCI) use.
Additionally, more than 40% of women described themselves as more confident in the recommendation following testing.
“None of us can predict what’s going on with our patient just by looking at them,” Tara B. Sanft, MD, medical

Years of data show positive results of phages therapy

WASHINGTON — Nearly 7 years’ worth of data from the national bacteriophage therapy program showed that phage therapy is well tolerated and effective, leading researchers to suggest moving from single-use approvals to clinical trials.
“It really hasn’t been until 10 years ago or so that there’s been interest in North America and in Europe to use phages to treat really difficult-to-treat infections,” Ghady Haidar, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said during a presentation at IDWeek. “Within the U.S., though, there are no FDA-approved

Pattern microsecond laser trabeculoplasty shows efficacy

LONDON — Three-month data using pattern microsecond laser trabeculoplasty showed that the novel laser strategy is effective in lowering and maintaining stable IOP in open-angle glaucoma.
Pattern microsecond laser trabeculoplasty (PMLT) is performed using the ECHO multispot laser (Norlase), a portable, ultra-compact pattern-scanning photocoagulator that can be fixed on most common slit lamps. PMLT represents a further evolution in the long journey of laser trabeculoplasty, Alexander Thrane, MD, said during a booth presentation at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.

Lutikizumab achieves ‘rigorous bar’ for hidradenitis suppurativa response: Topline data

Topline data show adults and teens with hidradenitis suppurativa saw marked improvements in lesion count, skin pain and HS flares with 16 weeks of lutikizumab vs. placebo, AbbVie announced in a press release.
Researchers with the phase 3 INTREPID study assessed lutikizumab, an investigational dual-variable-domain interleukin 1 alpha/1 beta antagonist, for the treatment of HS-related inflammatory lesions and pain. The study met its primary endpoint of HS Clinical Response (HiSCR) 75, defined as a 75% reduction from baseline in total abscess and inflammatory nodule count, at 16 weeks, along with

Q&A: Cuts to 2027 Physician Fee Schedule could limit dermatology access

As CMS considers its final 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, dermatologists are raising concerns over a change to procedure billing.
CMS’s new fee schedule, proposed July 14, states that when a physician provides a separately billable office visit and an eligible procedure, such as a biopsy, on the same day, Medicare would pay for the entirety of the higher-priced service but only 50% of the other qualifying service, despite both being medically necessary.
According to Betsy Wernli, MD, FAAD, dermatologist and president of Forefront Dermatology, this change would put a financial strain on

Continued development may fulfill unmet needs in retina

NEW ORLEANS — In this video from the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting, Dilraj Grewal, MD, highlights phase 2 and phase 3 data in age-related macular degeneration.
Grewal, of Duke Eye Center, also discussed subretinal and intravitreal delivery of gene therapy in neovascular AMD and potentially in geographic atrophy.
“We’re looking at promising data from gene therapy, promising data from new drugs like tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and we are getting closer to meeting the biggest need for our neovascular AMD patients, which is to extend the treatment interval and provide more consistent

Skin, autoimmune diseases portend heart disease risk

BOSTON — Inflammation and autoimmune disease are common threads in cardiology, dermatology and rheumatology, and there is a need for collaboration across the disciplines, according to a speaker.
“Cardio-rheumatology and -dermatology is an emerging subspeciality with a focus on better recognition of cardiovascular disease in this inherently higher-risk population,” Brittany Weber, MD, PhD, director of the cardio-rheumatology and cardio-dermatology program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said during a presentation at the Cardiometabolic Health Congress Women’s