New Drugs to Help Prevent Migraine in Development

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Earlier this year at the American Academy of Neurology’s 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, two studies were presented which may be intriguing for those who suffer from migraine headaches. The studies explored the use of potential drugs to prevent migraine attacks from occurring. In both studies monoclonal antibodies were explored which target the calcitonin gene related peptide CGRP. Researchers have believed that CGRP is useful for migraine but drugs were never developed for it previously. One of the studies looked at 163 people who suffered from migraine between 5 and 14 days per month. These individuals received either a placebo or a IV dose of a drug ALD403. The individuals were followed for a period of 24 weeks. Those who received ALD403 had an average of 5.6 fewer migraine days per month compared to 4.6 fewer migraine days per month for … Read more

Exploring the Alternative to Medical Injury Claims in New Hampshire

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In a post last year I dicussed briefly the early offer system in New Hampshire see The Optional Alternative to Medical Injury Claims. This is the first of the kind system in the United States that is an alternative to the traditional medical malpractice system. An article in the 2013 issue 4 of the American Journal of Law and Medicine has explored this titled “Evaluating New Hampshire’s First-In-The-Nation Early Offer Alternative to Medical Malpractice Litigation,” and written by John W. Masland. The article states “Many states have enacted medical malpractice reforms, recognizing that their tort systems result in protracted litigation, high costs, and a large number of uncompensated victims. One proposed reform, an “early offer” system, allows a medical provider to make a financial offer covering an injured patient’s economic damages, which, if the patient accepts, precludes litigation…On June 27, 2012, … Read more

New Blood Pressure Medication for Migraines

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A new study by the Norway and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology shows that a blood pressure medication, candesartan, is as effective as propranolol which is prescribed to prevent migraine. Further, candesartan may work better for those migraine suffers who don’t find propranolol to be useful. The study by the norwegian researchers was a triple blind test which means that neither patients nor doctors nor those who analyzed the results knew whether the patients had been given the drug or a placebo. Seventy two patients took part in the study and all patients were affected by migraine attacks at least twice a month. The patients used each treatment candesartan, propranolol, or placebo for 12 weeks and also underwent four weeks before start and finish between each treatment without anything. As such each patient was tested for nearly a … Read more

Gum diease can lead to selective disarming of the immune system

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A new study has shown that bacteria responsible for many cases of periodontitis causes dysbiosis in a two prong manipulation of the immune system. The researchers say that periodontal bacterium porphyromonas gingivalis acts on two molecular pathways to block immune cells’ killing ability while preserving the cells’ ability to cause inflammation. This protects these bacteria from being removed by the immune system and leads to bone loss and inflammation which is characteristic of periodontitis. The researchers say when inflammation occurs breakdown products are produced which causes dysbiosis and creates a vicious cycle. P. gingivalis is known as a keystone pathogen. Their presence may be relatively few in the mouth but they can exert a large pull on the overall microbial ecosystem. P. gingivalis doesn’t actually cause periodontitis but is responsible for causing the process that leads to it. The researchers believe that … Read more

Infection Control Lapse in Hawaii at VA Dental Clinic

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The U.S. department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has said that 20 patients treated on May 23 and May 27 in Hawaii may have been exposed to viruses due to instruments that were not sterilized. The dental instruments used were believed to be clean, but the VA monitors said they were not sterilized. Only a single load of dental equipment, which was typically sent from one medical center with a dental clinic to a different medical center for sterilization was not performed. It is believed that the risk of contracting anything like HIV or hepatitis is low but patients at risk are recommend to be tested for viruses. The source of the story is over at khon2 titled Veterans Affairs apologizes to dental patients for unsterilized instruments written by Nestor Garcia on June 27, 2014, and located over at  http://khon2.com/2014/06/27/veterans-affairs-apologizes-to-dental-patients-for-unsterilized-instruments/. Staff … Read more