Vitamin D deficiency is when you do not have enough vitamin D in your body. This is a problem, because the body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium and for other important…
What is an outer ear infection? An outer ear infection is a condition that can cause pain in the ear canal. The ear canal is the part of the ear that goes from the outer…
Doctors can treat acne using different types of medicines. Sometimes doctors suggest trying more than 1 medicine at once.
There is no 1 medicine or combination of medici…
The cauda equina is a bundle of nerves that spread out from the bottom of the spinal cord.
Cauda equina syndrome is the medical term for a group of symptoms that happen …
Retinitis pigmentosa (called "RP" here) is the medical term for a group of eye disorders that cause vision loss. RP mostly damages the back of the eye, called the "retin…
Influenza vaccination rates remain suboptimal. In a retrospective study including more than 31 million Medicare beneficiaries >19 years of age in the United States du…
No improvement in heart failure readmissions with postdischarge quality improvement intervention
Patients hospitalized for heart failure (HF) are often readmitted after discharge; although comprehensive discharge support is designed to reduce readmissions, trials ha…
What is a prothrombin time test and an International Normalized Ratio?
A prothrombin time test (also called a PT or "pro time" test) is a blood test that measures how long it takes your blood to clot.
Different labs use different tests to m…
Ankylosing spondylitis is a disease that causes pain and stiffness in the back, neck, and sometimes hips and heels. It begins with inflammation around the bones in the s…
What is allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA)?
Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (called "ABPA" here) is an allergic reaction that can cause coughing, wheezing, and other symptoms. It usually happens in people …
New naming convention for therapeutic monoclonal antibodies
The number of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) continues to increase. In order to reduce sound-alikes and specify structural components of the immunoglobulins, t…
Staff vaccination in nursing homes impacts resident COVID-19 outcomes
Vaccination of nursing home (NH) staff against COVID-19 has lagged behind resident vaccination but impacts resident outcomes when community transmission is high. In a st…
