Create your own free news widgets.

PHILADELPHIA (MedPage Today) -- Rheumatoid arthritis patients being treated with potent tumor necrosis factor inhibitors run an increased risk of developing skin cancer, researchers said here at the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting.

Rituxan is approved by the FDA to treat moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis in patients who have had an inadequate response to methotrexate and one or more TNF blockers. In response to a supplemental BLA (biologics license application), the FDA did not support the approval of Rituxan for patients who have not tried methotrexate or those who had an inadequate response to methotrexate. The drugmaker, Genentech, had hoped to get approval to treat rheumatoid arthritis patients earlier -- after only trying methotrexate. But the FDA declined - citing the rare possibility of PML (progressive multifocal leukeoencephalopathy). The FDA's decision does not affect previous approvals for Rituxan -- it only declines support for its use in early rheumatoid arthritis. Related Resources: The Facts of Rituxan FDA Warns Rituxan Patients About PML Rituxan Is Monoclonal Antibody More About Rituxan Join the Discussion: Join Us in Our Arthritis Forum / Message Board Photo by electricspace (iStockpho

PHILADELPHIA (MedPage Today) -- Rheumatoid arthritis patients being treated with potent tumor necrosis factor inhibitors run an increased risk of developing skin cancer, researchers said here at the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting.

Thiopurine drugs used to keep patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis in remission may increase the risk of malignant lymphoproliferative disorders, researchers say.

Millions of people suffer peripheral pain and other troubling sensations accompanying diseases as varied as diabetes, AIDS, shingles and arthritis. Cancer patients also often suffer these so-called peripheral neuropathies because of their therapies. For afflicted patients, a new review suggests, although not strongly, that four of 10 people could experience some pain relief from topical capsaicin cream. Capsaicin is the active component of chili peppers.

By Prashant K. Nanda, New Delhi, Oct 18 : The government is to carry out HIV tests on four-week-old and above babies of all AIDS patients - a significant decision aimed at reducing infant mortality due to the killer disease and improve child health conditions.

Munchausen syndrome (UK: Munchausen's syndrome) is the recurrent faking of catastrophic illnesses. It is a psychological disorder in which the individual keeps coming back for treatment for an acute and often serious illness which does not exist or has been deliberately induced - patients recurrently pretend they are seriously ill and ask for treatment. Munchausen syndrome should be spelled with a double 'H', as in Munchhausen.

Background: There is little information about influenza disease among the Cambodian population. To better understand the dynamics of influenza in Cambodia, the Cambodian National Influenza Center (NIC) was established in August 2006. To continuously monitor influenza activity, a hospital based sentinel surveillance system for ILI (influenza like illness), with a weekly reporting and sampling scheme, was established in five sites in 2006. In addition, hospital based surveillance of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) cases was established in two sites. Methods: The sentinel sites collect weekly epidemiological data on ILI patients fulfilling the case definition and take naso-pharyngeal specimens from a defined number of cases per week. The samples are tested in the Virology Unit at the Institut Pasteur in Phnom Penh. From each sample, viral RNA was extracted and amplified by a multiplex RT-PCR, simultaneously detecting the influenza A and influenza B virus. Influenza A viruses were

International Journal of Clinical Practice

Background: Pneumocystis jirovecii, formerly named Pneumocystis carinii, is one of the most common opportunistic infections in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients.Case presentations: We encountered two cases of spontaneous pneumomediastinum with subcutaneous emphysema in HIV-infected patients being treated for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Conclusion: Clinicians should be aware that cystic lesions and bronchiectasis can develop in spite of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole treatment for P. jirovecii pneumonia. The newly formed bronchiectasis and cyst formation that were noted in follow up high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) but were not visible on HRCT at admission could be risk factors for the development of pneumothorax or pneumomediastinum with subcutaneous emphysema in HIV-patients.